Snowy Morning and Safe Travel | Learn Japanese in English

Sentence explanations

1. 夜の間にたくさん雪が降りました。

   It snowed a lot during the night.

   夜

   night

   の間

   during; throughout

   たくさん

   a lot

   雪

   snow

   降りました

   fell; came down

   More detail

   夜 means “night” here. It is a noun and can be combined with time expressions such as 夜に (“at night”) or 夜の時間 (“nighttime”). In this sentence, 夜 is linked to 間 to define the relevant time span. の間 expresses a period during which something continues or takes place. The pattern Aの間にB means “B during A” or “B within the period of A”; に marks the time frame. For example, 旅行の間に写真を撮りました。 means “I took pictures during the trip.” たくさん means “a lot” or “in large quantity.” It commonly modifies an amount, including the amount of precipitation: たくさん雨が降りました。 means “A lot of rain fell.” It is not itself a noun meaning a specific counted number. 雪 means “snow.” In this sentence it is the thing that fell, marked by が. Japanese often uses precipitation nouns such as 雨 (“rain”) and 雪 (“snow”) with 降る. 降りました is the polite past form of 降る, “to fall” or, for rain and snow, “to come down.” The form chain is 降る (plain non-past) → 降ります (polite non-past) → 降りました (polite past). Here it reports completed snowfall. For example, 雨が降っています。 means “It is raining,” while 雪が降りました。 means “It snowed.” Together, 夜の間に sets the time period, たくさん gives the amount, and 雪が降りました says that snow came down. The whole utterance means: “It snowed a lot during the night.”

2. 今朝は歩道が凍っているかもしれません。

   The sidewalks may be icy this morning.

   今朝

   this morning

   歩道

   sidewalk

   凍っている

   be frozen; be icy

   かもしれません

   may; might

   More detail

   今朝 means “this morning.” It is a time expression that can be used at the beginning of a sentence: 今朝、出かけます。 means “I’m going out this morning.” The following は marks 今朝 as the topic or time frame. Here it does not itself mean “is”; it sets “this morning” as the frame for the statement. 歩道 means “sidewalk” or “sidewalk area.” It is a noun; 歩道が広い。 means “The sidewalk is wide.” The particle が marks 歩道 as the grammatical subject of the condition described next. 凍っている comes from the verb 凍る, “to freeze.” The form 凍っている describes the resulting state: something has frozen and is now frozen or icy. The ている pattern can also describe an action in progress with suitable verbs, but with 凍る it naturally emphasizes the current result. For example, 水が凍っている。 means “The water is frozen.” かもしれません expresses uncertainty: “may” or “might.” It follows the plain form of the preceding clause, 凍っている, and its polite form is かもしれません; the less polite counterpart is かもしれない. For example, 明日は雨かもしれません。 means “It might rain tomorrow.” Together, 歩道が凍っている says “the sidewalk is frozen/icy,” and かもしれません makes that possibility rather than a certainty. With 今朝は as the time frame, the complete utterance means: “The sidewalks may be icy this morning.”

3. それなら、滑りにくいブーツを履いたほうがいいですね。

   Then I should wear boots with better grip.

   それなら

   then / in that case

   滑りにくい

   less likely to cause slipping

   ブーツ

   boots

   履いたほうがいいですね

   it is better to wear

   More detail

   それなら means “then” or “in that case.” それ points to a situation already understood, and なら presents that situation as the basis for what follows. Reusable pattern: Xなら、… = “if it is X / given X, …”. Here it connects the recommendation with the possibility that the sidewalk is icy. 滑りにくい means “not likely to cause slipping” or, for boots, “designed to make slipping less likely.” It comes from 滑る (“to slip”) plus にくい (“difficult to do”): V-stem + にくい means that doing V is difficult or unlikely. For example, 壊れにくい means “hard to break” or “durable.” ブーツ means “boots.” It is the noun that is marked as the object of wearing by the following particle を. 履いたほうがいいですね recommends an action: “it is better to wear” the boots in this sentence. 履く is the base form used for putting on footwear and other lower-body clothing; its past form is 履いた. In Vたほうがいい, this Vた form does not express past time; the pattern recommends doing something. For example, 休んだほうがいい means “You should rest.” ですね adds a gentle, shared-confirmation tone. The omitted subject is understood from the fixed translation as the speaker, so this sentence presents wearing the boots as the speaker’s appropriate choice. Putting the parts together, それなら sets the icy-sidewalk situation as the basis, 滑りにくいブーツ means “boots that make slipping less likely,” and 履いたほうがいいですね recommends wearing them. The whole utterance means: “Then I should wear boots with better grip.”

4. それに、いつもより注意して歩いたほうがいいです。

   You should also walk more carefully than usual.

   それに

   also; in addition

   いつもより

   than usual

   注意して

   carefully; with attention

   歩いた

   walked

   ほうがいいです

   it is better to; should

   More detail

   それに adds another point: “also” or “in addition.” It connects this advice with the preceding advice without changing who is being advised. いつもより means “than usual.” いつも means “always” or “usually,” and より marks the comparison standard. The phrase compares the recommended way of walking with the person’s usual way; it does not itself say how much more careful the person must be. 注意して comes from the verb 注意する, “to pay attention” or “to be careful.” The て form links this action to the following verb and describes how the walking should be done: with attention, carefully. For example, 足元に注意して歩いてください。 means “Please walk while watching your step.” 歩いた is the past-form shape of 歩く, “to walk.” In the construction 歩いたほうがいい, this form is not reporting that someone walked in the past. It is the form used before ほうがいい to recommend doing the action. The useful chain is 歩く “walk” → 歩いた in this recommendation pattern. ほうがいいです expresses advice: “it is better to” or “you should.” Here, ほう means an option or course of action, and いい means “good.” With a verb in the た form, Vたほうがいいです is a common pattern for recommending that someone do V: 早く寝たほうがいいです。 means “You should go to bed early.” Together, 注意して歩いたほうがいいです means “you should walk carefully,” while いつもより specifies “more carefully than usual.” Adding それに makes the complete utterance: “You should also walk more carefully than usual.”

5. バスは遅れると思いますか。

   Do you think buses will be delayed?

   バス

   bus; buses

   遅れる

   be delayed

   と思いますか

   do you think ...?

   More detail

   バス means “bus.” Japanese nouns do not normally mark singular versus plural here, so this form can refer to one bus or to buses; the fixed translation supports the plural reading in this sentence. は marks バス as the topic: “as for buses …”. 遅れる is the dictionary form of the verb 遅れる, “to be late” or “to be delayed.” In this sentence it describes a possible future delay. The form itself is not a passive form; the verb’s meaning already covers arriving or happening later than expected. Example: 電車が遅れる。 — “The train will be late/delayed.” と思いますか asks for someone’s judgment about the preceding proposition. 思います is the polite form of 思う, “to think”; と marks the preceding clause as the content of that thought, and か marks the sentence as a question. The reusable pattern is [statement] と思いますか。 — “Do you think [statement]?” Example: 明日は雨だと思いますか。 — “Do you think it will rain tomorrow?” Together, バスは遅れる means “as for buses, they will be delayed,” and と思いますか asks whether the listener thinks that proposition is true. Thus the whole utterance means, “Do you think buses will be delayed?”

6. たぶん、雪の日は車の流れが遅いからです。

   Probably, because traffic moves slowly in snow.

   たぶん

   probably

   雪の日

   a snowy day

   車

   car

   流れ

   flow

   遅い

   slow

   からです

   because …

   More detail

   たぶん means “probably” here. It expresses the speaker’s uncertainty about the explanation that follows. A useful pattern is たぶん、〜です (“probably, …”). 雪の日 means “a snowy day” or “a day with snow.” 雪 means “snow,” and 日 means “day”; the の connection makes 雪 describe the type of day. In this sentence, 雪の日は sets snowy days as the topic: “as for snowy days” or, naturally, “on snowy days.” 車 means “car.” Here it appears in the compound 車の流れ, literally “the flow of cars.” The の connects the cars with the flow; in context, this refers naturally to traffic flow rather than to one particular car. 流れ means “flow” or “movement.” In 車の流れ, it is a noun describing how cars are moving through traffic. The form 流れ is also the noun form related to the verb 流れる (“to flow”), but here it is used as a noun, not as a verb. 遅い means “slow.” It is an adjective describing 車の流れ, so 車の流れが遅い means “the traffic flow is slow” or “traffic moves slowly.” The が marks the thing being described. 遅い is the basic non-past form; its negative form is 遅くない (“not slow”), and its past form is 遅かった (“was slow”). からです gives a reason: “because …” or “it is because …” In this sentence, から follows the clause 車の流れが遅い, and です makes the ending polite. A reusable pattern is 〜からです (“It is because …”). The reason clause comes before からです in Japanese. Putting the parts together: 雪の日は establishes “on snowy days,” 車の流れが遅い says that traffic moves slowly, and からです presents that statement as the reason. With たぶん, the whole utterance means: “Probably, because traffic moves slowly on snowy days.”

7. 出かける前に、交通アプリを確認しますね。

   Let me check the transport app before leaving.

   出かける

   leave; go out

   前に

   before

   交通

   transport; traffic

   アプリ

   app

   確認します

   check; confirm

   ね

   softening particle

   More detail

   出かける means “to go out” or “to leave.” It is the dictionary form of the verb; in this sentence, it appears before 前に to identify the action that happens first in the time relationship. Example: 明日出かける。 — “I’m going out tomorrow.” 前に means “before.” With a verb in dictionary form, V前に means “before doing V”: 食べる前に手を洗います。 — “I wash my hands before eating.” Here, 出かける前に means “before leaving,” without specifying who leaves beyond the intended speaker’s perspective in the translation. 交通 relates to transportation and traffic. It is a noun that commonly appears in compounds, such as 交通情報 (“traffic information”) and 交通手段 (“means of transportation”). Here it modifies アプリ, indicating an app connected with transportation or traffic. アプリ is the loanword “app,” a noun. The compound 交通アプリ therefore refers here to a transportation or traffic app. Japanese commonly places a noun before another noun to specify its type or domain. 確認します means “check” or “confirm” here. 確認する is the dictionary form, and 確認します is its polite nonpast form: the -ます form can describe a present or future action, so it fits “Let me check.” The verb itself does not mark the speaker’s gender. Example: 予定を確認します。 — “I’ll check the schedule.” ね is a sentence-final particle that makes the utterance softer and invites a sense of shared awareness or gentle acknowledgment. It does not add the main action; the action comes from 確認します. Together, 出かける前に sets the time as “before leaving,” 交通アプリを marks the transportation app as the object being checked, and 確認しますね expresses the speaker’s polite, gentle “I’ll check it.” The whole utterance means: “Let me check the transport app before leaving.”

8. それで時間を節約できるかもしれません。

   That may save you time.

   それで

   with that; so

   時間

   time

   節約

   saving; economy

   できる

   can; be able to

   かもしれません

   may; might

   More detail

   それで means “with that” here: it links the possible result to the preceding action or means, namely checking the transport app. Its referent is understood from the context rather than from the word itself. A useful pattern is それで、… = “With that, …” or “So, …” when the connection is clear. 時間 means “time.” In 時間を, it is the object affected by the following action. The particle を marks that object; the sentence does not specify an exact amount of time. 節約 means “saving” or “economizing.” It is a noun that commonly combines with する to form the verb 節約する, “to save/economize.” Here it appears in 時間を節約する, “save time.” Example: 電気を節約します。 — “I save electricity.” できる means “can” or “be able to.” In this sentence, it follows 時間を節約 and makes the expression 時間を節約できる, “can save time.” できる is the non-past form; it can express ability or a possible outcome depending on context. Here the surrounding かもしれません makes the whole result possible rather than certain. かもしれません means “may” or “might.” It follows the plain-form predicate できる and softens the statement to possibility: できるかもしれません = “may be able to” or, naturally here, “may save.” This expression does not assert that the saving will definitely happen. Together, それで connects the result to the preceding means, 時間を節約 identifies saving time, できる presents that result as possible, and かもしれません marks uncertainty. The whole utterance therefore means: “That may save you time.”